Howling to a Friend
by bean-the-shadow
Summary: James is tired of waiting for Remus to show up, so he decides to call for him like any sane person would when calling out for their werewolf friend


Part of himself couldn't be happier. He was finally reunited with his best friend. They were lying beside the lake next to their favorite tree. The sun was shining and it was warm. His hazel eyes stared up into the leaves. He could just make out specks of blue through the green. Lily was off somewhere with her own friends. Everything was near perfect, but something – or someone – was missing.

"Hey, Sirius." He turned his head to look at his best friend, who hummed. "What's taking Moony so long?"

Sirius kept his eyes closed, and for a second James thought he'd fallen back asleep. "Maybe he got lost? We both know he was bollocks at directions."

With a huff, James turned his attention back to the sky above. "I'm tired of waiting."

Sirius laughed, finally opening his eyes. "What exactly are you going to do? Drag him here?"

James sat up. He was determined to see his friend again even if he had to do strange methods to get him there. "Let's call for him!"

" _Prongs_ ," Sirius laughed, using his friend's nickname, "call for him? Merlin, have you gone bloody mental during your time here?"

"Maybe I have," James showed him a wicked grin. "Years of solitude, waiting for your best friends, will do that to you."

"Oh piss off," Sirius said, but the grin never left his face. "You've got Lily around here somewhere. I swear I saw her earlier with one of her friends."

"You're right, but," James smiled down at Sirius, "there's something to be said for the love of your friends, Padfoot."

Sirius watched him closely, trying to decipher if James was really telling the truth. He could only imagine what his best friend felt without them. Sirius himself had almost gone insane, but that could have been from the Dementors. Regardless, it would be nice to see Remus again. "Alright," Sirius caved, "how exactly do you plan to call for him?"

"Don't worry," James stood to his feet, "I've got the perfect plan." Sirius sat up, watching the other curiously. James cupped his hands around his mouth and took a deep breath. Without hesitation, he let out a long – and very loud – howl. "WOOOOO!"

Sirius managed to control himself until James stopped, but then he doubled over laughing. It was too much. Tears ran down his face as he choked on his own laughter. "What in bloody hell was that?!" He cried, wiping the tear stains from his cheeks. Every time he calmed himself, he'd be overtaken by another fit.

James smiled, but somehow managed to keep from laughing. "Well, how else am I supposed to call him?"

"I don't know," Sirius snickered again, trying to get his words out clearly, "maybe try calling his actual name?"

Frowning, James almost looked as though he hadn't thought of that, which only served to send his friend into another round of laughter. "But don't you think this would get his attention faster? Who knows how many people here are named Remus!"

"You're such an arse, Prongs," Sirius snorted a little. "That was a horrendous werewolf impersonation anyway. We've known Moony how long and you still can't do it right?"

"Are you trying to spoil my fun, Pads?" James rose an eyebrow, but then a look of challenge flashed in his eyes. "You think you could do better then?"

Sirius grinned, his eyes matching James'. "Oh, I know I can do bloody better than that."

"Alright then," James motioned for Sirius to get up, "let's see it. Come on we don't have all day."

Sirius rolled his eyes at that. Of course they had all day, but James just had to push him. "Fine." He stood from his feet, and dusted off his robes. "First of all, you were saying it wrong. It's _Awoo_ not _Woo_."

"But that _is_ what I said!" James shouted, annoyance in his tone. "You obviously didn't listen close enough."

"It wasn't even close!" Sirius laugh.

"Well, if you're so good at it, you do it!"

"Fine," Sirius straightened his shoulders. He felt his face begin to warm and knew his cheeks would start coloring. How embarrassing to do something so ridiculous, but he couldn't back down now. James would literally never let him hear the end of it. He took a slow steadying breath. Cupping his hands around his mouth like James had, he let out a howl. "AWWOOOO!"

James threw his hands into the air. "Mine sounded exactly the same!"

"It didn't!"

"It was!" James retorted, much like a child.

Neither backed down, and their argument continued. Sirius swore that James forgot to add the vowel to the beginning, but James honestly couldn't hear the difference. Then it escalated. Both were howling at the sky with their heads thrown back. Both trying to outdo the other to prove they were right all along.

Somewhere along the line, they had both started laughing. Between each attempted howl, they would cling to each other, foreheads pressed together, laughing at how ridiculous they were. Both silently happy to be back with each other. It was a grand time to be back like this without a care in the world.

"One more time?" James asked, wiping the tears from his face.

"Why not?" Sirius grinned.

"WOOOOO!"

"AWWOOOO!"

They both fell into fits of laughter before they even managed to finish their howls.

"You guys sound like shite, you know that?" They turned to find their friend. "It was horrible! You call that a werewolf? I feel insulted."

"Moony!" James cheered, running over to his friend and embracing him. "It worked!"

Sirius followed close behind. "About time you made it, mate. I thought Prongs was going crazy over here."

"Sorry," Remus smiled a bit bashfully. "Guess my role wasn't quite over yet."

"It's alright," James said. He looked Remus over, thinking he looked a bit different. He still sported the scars on his skin, but his eyes… they were light and happy. There was no strain that had been there over the years from his constant transformations. He finally looked like the teen he should have been. "I would have waited another 18 years to see you both again."

"Just 18?" Remus asked, laughing at the thought.

"Like Padfoot said, I was going a bit crazy waiting."

"It's good to see you again – both of you. I've missed you guys."

Sirius grinned and James wrapped his arms around them both, steering them toward the castle. "Come on," he said without responding to Remus' words. He didn't need to though. They three of them were happy to be back together. "I think I saw Wormtail over by the castle with some others."

The smile fell from Sirius' face. "No," he stopped walking, "I don't want to see him."

"Why not?" James asked confused. Even Remus had stiffened slightly at the name.

"This is all his fault!" Sirius yelled, but James wasn't surprised at the anger. In fact, he expected it.

"It's been years," he responded. "None of that matters now that we're together again. He was our friend before, wasn't he?"

"But –"

"Sirius," Remus looked over, a sad smile on his face. "I think James is right. Let's start over again. The four of us just like we used to."

Sirius frowned, "I'm not saying I'm okay with this, but I guess I could try."

"That's the spirit!" James laughed, ushering them forward again. "Now let's go see everyone. I think Lily is over here too with a bunch of others."


End file.
